We see quite often in our daily lives people who have been through troubling or even traumatizing experiences that find ways to talk about the mental struggle they’ve been through. Some become public speakers, other write books and music – whatever medium can be used to express themselves and bring awareness to the things we don’t often like to talk about. TwoPM Studios took a different approach and made a video game. The Thin Silence serves as a metaphorical representation of the suffering those with depression go through when trying to heal. The player is taken through the process of acceptance, reflection, absolving guilt and finding hope. It progresses from dark to light with many obstacles in the way – some physical and others mental. This is an emotional experience and it’s designed the shed light on mental darkness. At its core, The Thin Silence is still a video game, but its intent revolves around reflection and awareness. This is a deep experience and regardless of how fun or enjoyable playing it can and can’t be, there’s something enlightening about it that I won’t soon forget.
As a game, The Thin Silence is a side scrolling 8-bit puzzle game. Set deep within the memories and emotional purgatory of Ezra Westmark, the player must navigate through obstacles and barriers in order to progress. Throughout Ezra’s journey he finds several tools, trinkets and documents to use to move from level to level. Items can be used individually, or can be combined by using a simple crafting system to make entirely new tools. Early on the player will come across a boot and a box of earrings and hooks. The boot is used to kick large items across flat surfaces and the hook helps to cling and boost Ezra up over otherwise inaccessible ledges. Individually these are very useful tools but by combining these two items, you can craft climbing boots that can scale grated walls. Up to three basic items can be merged in crafting. The system is so simple, but it doesn’t hold your hand and tell you exactly what is needed to be made to move forward. This forces the player to experiment and see what can and can’t be combined. You’ll come across new hurdles, and the required item or combination may not always be obvious. It’s fun to mash things together and see what you get, if anything at all. On a couple of occasions I accidentally crafted an item I did not need at the time, but was helpful later. It was exciting to think how I would be able to use this surprise item in later areas.
Levels are also littered with disembodied characters, letters, articles, photographs and trinkets – all serve the purpose of shedding light on Ezra’s past. It is not clear from the outset who Ezra is and what happened to him. All that is known is that Ezra has had a troubled past. He is overcome with guilt and at a loss for how he can cope with his descent into mental darkness. Traversing the world and interacting with the above noted elements will offer glimpses into past events and what exactly took place. The story sets out at an intriguing pace. You feel a sense of sorrow for Ezra even without knowing what has led to his current state. However, as the layers peel back and more of the story is unveiled, I found it increasingly difficult to relate to what Ezra had been through. The subject matter that the story deals in is not one many of us may have experienced. At the outset, I was hoping to form a connection with Ezra’s experiences and establish an emotional connection with the things he had been through. But that didn’t happen, at least not to the extent I thought it would. I felt like more of an observer rather than feeling a part of the story.
As this all progresses into the latter stages of the game, it becomes a bit of a grind. I found myself just wanting to progress through areas and my level of interest into the smaller story details began to dwindle. Puzzles become tedious and don’t offer enough of a challenge. I preferred the earlier stages of The Thin Silence when puzzle completion was mainly dependent on use of found and crafted items rather than sole use of fixed constructs within the game. All in all, it’s not a long experience at 4 to 5 hours to conclusion but can feel like a slog at times in the final third.
Even with the inconsistent puzzle elements, it’s impressive that TwoPM has been able to create the level of emotion that it does with The Thin Silence. Keeping in mind with graphical limitations, there are no facial animations, voiceover work or any other detailed human expression. With a limited toolbelt, the game still manages to create a somber and poignant environment. The developers cleverly use an evolving color palette to represent Ezra’s ascent from emotional darkness. A surprisingly varied and rooted soundtrack from Light Frequency Studio elicits the sense of despair that Ezra is feeling as he faces his demons and reflects on the past. There are also moments of interaction that are forced on Ezra with his psychologist who seems to chase Ezra through his conscience to provide support. This is jarring to see as initially our protagonist refuses his doctors emotional assistance as he comes to grips with the realization that he can heal.
Recommendation: What The Thin Silence sets out to do is ambitious. To capture the tonal and emotional depth of recent successes like Limbo is not an easy task. This game accomplishes that in some respect. While it could have benefited from more relatable subject matter and better puzzle variety towards the end of it all, The Thin Silence is still something to experience. It offers a unique sense of immersion into a theme that we don’t often see in our medium. The game succeeds in offering a glimpse into what many people suffer through every single day and the challenge they face to restore mental health.
The Thin Silence, from developer TwoPM Studios and publisher Nkidu Games, releases on Steam on April 27th.
This game was provided to the reviewer by the publisher but this fact did not influence the opinion of said reviewer.
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